82-year-old Italian leading man Giorgio Ardisson (aka “George Ardisson”) also died on December 11. He appeared in Mario Bava’s Hercules in the Haunted World (with Christopher Lee) and Erik the Conqueror, along with the obscure Katarsis (with Lee again), Antonio Margheriti’s The Long Hair of Death (with Barbara Steele), Agent 3S3: Passport to Hell, Hercules and the Princess of Troy, Federico Fellini’s Juliet of the Spirits, Operation Counterspy, Agent 3S3: Massacre in the Sun, Eyes Behind the Stars, Don’t Look in the Attic and Cross of the Seven Jewels.
American character actress Mary [Dawne] Arden died on December 13, aged 81. While a fashion model living in Italy during the 1960s, she appeared in Mario Bava’s seminal giallo Blood and Black Lace, Fellini’s Juliet of the Spirits and Umberto Lenzi’s Kriminal. She also turned up in the 2012 movie Bloody Christmas.
American character actor Booth Colman, who played “Dr. Zaius” on the short-lived TV series Planet of the Apes (1974), died on December 15, aged 91. He was in Them!, The Silver Chalice, Fritz Lang’s Moonfleet, World Without End, Time Travelers, The Return of the World’s Greatest Detective and Return to the Secret Garden, along with episodes of The Veil and Thriller (both hosted by Boris Karloff), The Outer Limits, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Wild Wild West, The Monkees, I Dream of Jeannie, The Invaders, Tarzan (1968), The Flying Nun, Project U.F.O., Galactica 1980 and Star Trek: Voyager.
Italian actress Virna Lisi (Virnia Lisa Pieralisi) died of lung cancer on December 18, aged 78. Her films include Dual of the Titans, The Possessed and Bluebeard (1972). The actress was reportedly offered the title role of Barbarella (1968), but turned it down.
British character actress Billie [Honor] Whitelaw CBE died on December 21, aged 82. She made her acting debut in the 1952 BBC-TV series The Secret Garden, and her many other credits include the films The Flesh and the Fiends (aka Mania, with Peter Cushing), The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1968, with Jack Palance), Twisted Nerve, Alfred Hitchcock’s Frenzy, Night Watch, The Omen (1976), The Water Babies, The Dark Crystal, The Secret Garden (1987), The Cloning of Joanna May, Jane Eyre (1996), Merlin (1998), Quills and Hot Fuzz, along with episodes of BBC Sunday-Night Theatre (‘Gaslight’), Wessex Tales, Space: 1999, Supernatural (‘The Werewolf Reunion’/ ‘Countess Ilona’) and Imaginary Friends. She was married (1952-66) to actor Peter Vaughn and later to playwright Robert Muller.
British stuntman and stunt arranger Richard Graydon died on December 22, aged 92. Staring with From Russia with Love, he worked on ten James Bond films, along with Don’t Look Now, The Man Who Fell to Earth, Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Ladyhawke, Dream Lover, Willow and Batman (1989). Additionally, Graydon had small roles in Déjà Vu (1985) and an episode of TV’s The Avengers.
American voice actor Christine Cavanaugh (Christine Josephine Sandberg) died the same day, aged 51. Her credits include Darkwing Duck, A Flintstone Family Christmas, Babe (as the titular porcine), The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper, Dexter’s Laboratory (as “Dexter”) and Rugrats (as “Chuckie”), amongst many other titles. Cavanaugh also appeared in an episode of TV’s The X Files.
British actor and comedy scriptwriter [John] Jeremy Lloyd OBE died of pneumonia on December 23, aged 84. A regular on Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In (1969-70), he had small, often uncredited, roles in the Beatles films A Hard Day’s Night and Help!, A Study in Terror, The Magic Christian and TV’s The Avengers. Lloyd came up with the original idea for the Adam Faith Loch Ness Monster comedy What a Whopper (1961), and he also scripted Vampira (aka Old Dracula), starring David Niven as the Count. His second of four wives was actress Joanna Lumley.
British character actor Bernard [Frederic Bemrose] Kay died on Christmas Day. He was 86. Kay’s film credits include They Came from Beyond Space, The Shuttered Room (based on a story by H.P. Lovecraft and August Derleth), Torture Garden (based on stories by Robert Bloch), Witchfinder General (aka Conqueror Worm, with Vincent Price), Trog (with Joan Crawford and Michael Gough), Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger, Puritan and Psychosis. On TV he appeared in episodes of TV’s Hamlet (1961), Doctor Who (opposite William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton and Jon Pertwee), Out of the Unknown, Object Z, Adam Adamant Lives!, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe (1967, as ‘Aslan’), The Champions, Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) (aka My Partner the Ghost), Space: 1999, Survivors (1977), Tales of the Unexpected, Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense, World’s Beyond, A Very British Coup (1988) and PSI Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal. Kay was married to actress Patricia Haines from 1963 until her death in 1977.
Fellow British character actor David [John] Ryall died the same day, aged 79. His films include The Elephant Man, Jack the Ripper (1988), The Woman in Black (1989), Truly Madly Deeply, Witchcraft (1992), Around the World in 80 Days (2004), The League of Gentleman’s Apocalypse, City of Ember, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (as “Elphias Doge”), The Tractate Middoth (2013, based on the story by M.R. James) and Autómata. On TV he was in episodes of Once Upon a Time (‘Frankenstein’, 1973), Blakes 7, The Singing Detective (1986), The Borrowers (1992), Goodnight Sweetheart, Bonekickers and Mark Gatiss’ Crooked House.
84-year-old American actor Rhodes Reason, the younger brother of actor Rex Reason, died of lymphoma cancer on December 26. His movie credits include Voodoo Island (with Boris Karloff) and King Kong Escapes. On TV Reason appeared in episodes of Science Fiction Theatre, The Time Tunnel and Star Trek.
British actress Bridget [Joanna] Turner died on December 27, aged 75. She appeared in two Terry Pratchett TV adaptations—Hogfather and The Colour of Magic—and was also in an episode of Doctor Who. Her film credits include The Gathering (2003).
American character actor Terry Becker (Solomon Becker), who played “Chief Sharkey” on TV’s Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1965-68), died on December 30, aged 93. He was also in an episode of Twilight Zone and the 2010 movie Infection: The Invasion Begins. In 1974 Becker produced and directed the low budget horror film The Thirsty Dead, based on his own story.